Bystanders have administered the anti-overdose drug Narcan to temporarily reverse the effects of opiate overdoses more than 2,900 times statewide since 2007. The drug has been distributed in 17 communities, including Weymouth and Quincy.

Quincy police in 2010 became the first municipal police department in the country to equip all its officers with Narcan.

First responders have reported using Narcan to reverse 480 overdoses.

Heroin withdrawal can begin within hours after the last administration of the drug. It peaks between 48 and 72 hours.

An estimated 156,000 people tried heroin for the first time nationwide in 2012. That’s compared to 90,000 who started using in 2006.

In 2011, 4.2 million Americans 12 and older (about 1.6 percent) had used heroin at least once in their lives. An estimated 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.

Heroin was the most used drug among people from Weymouth, Quincy, Abington and Rockland who sought treatment at programs affiliated with the state's Bureau of Substance Abuse Services in fiscal year 2012.